Coop plans for cold weather?

[RivaJam]

Does anyone have any websites or resources for some good coop plans for cold weather? I live in WI and my husband will be building the coop. He's a builder, but knows nothing about what is necessary in a coop so that's my job to research! I can't find much online for actual plans.

 

[Judy]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-coop-temperatures

These are a couple of excellent articles written by a Canadian member. They don't give plans, but really, you can just build a square or rectangle and arrange roosts and nests wherever you want. Especially in the North. a large coop is a good idea, to avoid pecking and cannibalism, because they may stay inside days at a time to avoid snow and nasty weather. To some extent you can encourage them out by shoveling a place or covering a part of their rum. It is also very difficult to ventilate a small, short coop up North. To me the simplest design is something like an 8x8 or 8x12 shed with the roof at its highest on one side (metal roof,) so you can ventilate it through the area between the tops of the walls and the roof on the high side. You probably don't want to try external nest boxes in the North; they wll be cold and your eggs are even more likely to freeze, plus they can be difficult to weatherproof. Of course that's partly opinion; there are many ways to do things. But most here agree, build larger than you think you need! There are lots of reasons why having a walk in coop is so much more convenient.

Here is another cold weather coop that is not cheap bo vuild but gives you a good idea how open air they can be:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/445004/woods-style-house-in-the-winter/0_20